25 January, 2017

The standoff between China and the US looks set to reach
new highs, as the Trump administration promises steps to prevent
Beijing’s takeover of “international territories” in the
strategic waterway in the South China Sea.

“The US is going to make sure that we protect our
interests there,” White House spokesman Sean Spicer said
Monday. Journalists asked him if he agreed with the statement
delivered by Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson on January 11,
that Washington will from now on take a tougher stance with Beijing
over its actions in the South China Sea.

“It’s a question of if those islands are in fact
in international waters and not part of China proper, then yeah,
we’re going to make sure that we defend international territories
from being taken over by one country,” Spicer added.

The area in question represents a route worth $4.5
trillion in trade per year. China, over the past year, has expanded
its takeover of island territories in the sea, with the US in
particular being alarmed at satellite images purporting to show
weapons systems popping up on artificial islets.

Tillerson at the time also claimed that such tactics
represent steps toward a sharp escalation between Beijing and
Washington. He promised to send China a “clear signal that,
first, the island-building stops and, second, your access to those
islands also is not going to be allowed.”